Notting Hill Carnival: A bitter/sweet experience

The music, dance, costumes, foods, and the exuberant atmosphere, essentially belongs to a celebration of freedom that has, as the Mayor's race advisor Lee Jasper would put it, 'a history that is Black from way back'. And yet, as a political activist I cannot help but lament that it is 1000 times easier to get Black people to a modern apolitical carnival or dance than it is to a rally of political empowerment.

Be it the Carnival of Rio De Janeiro, Mardi Gras in New Orleans or our very own Notting Hill, the roots of Carnival celebrations came from slavery and the struggle against it. Of course, as one would expect given the colonial legacy, there is also a European/Christian element, that was expressed during the celebration of lent and the storing of meat-'Carnevale'.

But free slaves in the Caribbean or the Americas subverted and blackened the Christian event to dance a dance of freedom that would endure to the present day.

On the Island of Trinidad for example the systematic rape of African culture meant that slaves were forbidden to even play music or wear traditional costumes. In 1833 when slavery was abolished free slaves took to the streets to dance, and resurrect remnants of African culture.

They also mocked and mimicked their ex-master's cultural events and pour scorn on the system that enslaved them. Costumes were exaggerated, masks made more outrageous, all driven by a rhythm that was the heartbeat of Africa: The drum.

Here in the UK it was a Trinidadian woman, Claudia Jones who is widely credited to bringing carnival to the London. Main stream history has chosen to ignore this courageous and tenacious woman, who was a feminist, a Black Nationalist, a political activist and a community leader.

For 30 years she lived and in New York and become an active member of the communist Party. In 1955 she was deported from the US to UK where she soon ploughed her energies into the London Caribbean scene, founding and editing The West Indian Gazette-a paper that spoke up for the rights of Black people.

But is was her efforts that began the Notting Hill Carnival in the early sixties that would be her greatest legacy. Thanks to her organisation, the Carnival grew year on year. The arrival of the Steel bands in the early sixties encouraged even more Black communities from around the UK to make their way to this corner of the capital. During those early years the Carnival themes remained constant: defiance against racism, and oppression, a jubilant celebration of Caribbean and African culture, and a celebration of youth.

Ashton Charles, won of the organisers in the 70's highlighted the tensions and real fear from the Far Right thugs of the National Front, who sought to intimidate local people and revellers of the carnival. Charles explains', 'Around the time, the National Front used to target the carnival.

They used to print up leaflets about how they were going to beat up carnival goers. But, we weren't afraid…black people were coming from all over London for the carnival, so we had the strength in numbers. If they came to Ladbroke Grove we would be ready for them.'

As a result of those pioneering years, today's Carnival is now underpinned by its five disciplines: Masquerade, -visual story telling-, Calypso, -oral story telling-, Steel bands, Soca and the modern urban Sounds systems. Organisations and groups taking part now, fiercely compete for the title of their chosen discipline.

The African and Caribbean celebratory spirit, still runs strong, and newcomers such as the Latin Americans, have brought with them Salsa and Meringue that only add to this momentous weekend. But I for one, although enjoy carnival lament that it has lost its edge of political and social defiance that marked out a community that took responsibility for social change.

Maybe the apoliticalness of the Carnival is symptomatic of the Black music scene in general, that is no longer of a force to politically empower but rather, and too often, to denigrate Black women and glorify gun and drug culture.

But change maybe afoot. The Carnival committee Trust has a new chief at the helm: Professor Chris Mullard. As head of the UK largest Black consultancy-Focus Consultancy- he knows how to organise and how to make money.

If he can combine his business acumen along with his history of Black political activism- as a young man, influenced by Garvey and King, he organised Black marches-the Carnival can recapture that early spirit of protest that would resonate with today's urban, cynical Black youth.

Come what may I'll be amongst the throng with other partygoers this Monday. I'll dance and rejoice the magic of the Notting Hill Carnival, but at some point I'll close my eyes and pretend that the Soca beat is the calling sound to politically mobilise a million Black people.

For more information about the remarkable Claudia Jones: see http://history.binghamton.edu/resources/bjoh/WomnBlkTrad.htm